STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — The numbers totaled
after three ski races at Mount Werner on Sunday showed the 16th annual
Snow Express for MS, a fund-raiser for the Heuga Center, raised just more
than $53,000 in Steamboat Springs. The total is less than what was raised
last year, but given the circumstances, officials say they are happy.

Thirteen teams of three people participated
this year. On Sunday morning, skiers and snowboarders rode either in a
marathon ski race or a poker run — where teams searched for cards placed
around the Steamboat Ski Area, hoping to find the best poker hand. All
the teams participated in a giant slalom in the afternoon, some wearing
outlandish costumes, such as dairy cow outfits.

Each team raised at least $1,000
to enter the ski races, which is meant more for fun than competition. The
team that raises the most money before Sunday wins the event. All the funds
go to support the Heuga Center, a nonprofit scientific research center
dedicated to improving the lives of people with multiple sclerosis.

"It went great," said Stacey Kramer,
local co-event director. "We didn't break any records but it was a safe
race. Nobody got hurt and everybody had a smile on their face."

The $53,000 is about half of what
was raised last year, which was a record-breaking event. Most of the 22
Snow Express for MS events around the country showed similar numbers this
year.

"I think it was the economy and I
think it was Sept. 11," Kramer said.

Many nonprofit organizations around
the country reported problems with donations after the Sept. 11 attacks
in addition to feeling the blow of the economy being in a recession.

"The big money teams (in Steamboat)
from last year just weren't able to raise as much money," Kramer said.

Jason Denhart, event coordinator
from the Heuga Center, said given the circumstances, this year's totals
were spectacular.

"We would have felt a much harder
hit if it wasn't for the hard work of Stacey and Jill," he said.

Event directors Jill Waldman and
Kramer were pounding the pavement to help teams get their donations, Denhart
said.

"We had a great day on the hill,"
he said. "It was a little chilly … but everyone had a blast."